Blip.tv BANNED the video series above (from my partner’s account) because it has the words, “affiliate marketing”, in its title. So now I get to share 22 videos with you, no commercial interruptions (not even from me on the video…) Not something you would expect from affiliate marketing? Actually it is more common than many think…
And it’s so funny at so many levels to be both banned from a network who has decided that affiliate marketing is not allowed, AND the result being that you see these videos with no ads.
Ad free because of affiliate marketing, so believe me, I’m grateful to Blip. And to my friends Alan at http://HomeBusinessBrains.com, and Brooke who helped me get this out to you, sans advertisement.
I’m sharing a powerful, traditional method of doing business by being good to people, and getting them to share your message with others. This was taught to me way before the Internet, and continues to drive and inspire me to this day…and I hope you find that in these words, are the basis for building new business today.
Because in tough times, partnerships rule…and you don’t have to call them affiliate marketing to make them work. And you don’t have to spam, clam, or wham your audience to get results, if you don’t want to…
Where it Began
My roots in this business began back in 1994, when I began an educational site for my Master’s Degree instead of a CD-ROM. Many of the people I followed were talking about the basic concepts of what has become social media, just without the tools.
That site continues to teach me more about education, and business, that I’ve melded the two into the system you are welcome to watch over the next few weeks.
For me, the reason I love working on and teaching on the Internet is because it is about connecting people, giving them the ability to share, yet at the same time creating businesses that thrive on the customer being happy.
From Jeff Bezo’s early “customer ecstasy” statement to Tony Hsieh’s mantras at Zappos, it all comes down to constantly, persistently, and truly loving your customers.
Old school calls this Long Term Value of the Customer, and I measure not how much someone makes per sale, but how many people they can get to do business with them again, and again. It’s called repeat business, customer loyalty, and giving people hope that you are one of the few who will be on their side.
And the affiliates who hit them quick, create businesses that crash and burn in a year or 2? They make a ton. While you don’t have to act like them, imagine if you could combine their ingenuity for marketing with your love of the customer…
So I brought a group of people together to tell stories, to share their experiences, and to connect students and teachers worldwide. Now that site has done amazing things that only the power of the crowd, of the audience, and of love, could achieve. A high PageRank and links from schools worldwide, this site, and this business, keeps teaching how powerful the audience is, and how you cannot ever hope to control them.
Hmmm…sounds like affiliate marketing that respects the customer – there’s LOTS more examples of that as well, and that part of the business makes more money than the hit and run end of the business. So there is hope…it’s found in your audience, your friends.
They are in control. That’s where the power is…
In your audience…and in this series, beginning here and continuing over the next 7 weeks, let me share a perspective from both a performance marketing, and social media, point of view.
Can these two co-exist?
Yes, if you ask, and respect, the customer. It’s still how I do business, and it never changes, even though the technology does.
Because in the New Media Game, the customer is in control, it’s their playing field, and you are allowed on if they like you.
It is time we treated them all like friends… Enjoy
Peace
Declan
Declan
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